1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
1So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2And these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;
3Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;
Zadok and Abiathar—priests;
5Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
6Ahishar—palace administrator;
Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.
7Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8These are their names:
Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;
9Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
10Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);
11Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
12Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;
13Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);
14Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;
15Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
16Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;
18Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;
19Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s Daily Provisions
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
22Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors#4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons of the finest flour and sixty cors#4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons of meal, 23ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26Solomon had four#4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.#4:26 Or charioteers
27The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.#4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.
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1 Kings 4
4
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
1King Solomon now ruled over all Israel, 2and these were his high officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest.
3Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were court secretaries.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
4Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the district governors.
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was a trusted adviser to the king.
6Ahishar was manager of the palace property.
Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.
7Solomon also had twelve district governors who were over all Israel. They were responsible for providing food for the king’s household. Each of them arranged provisions for one month of the year. 8These are the names of the twelve governors:
Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim.
9Ben-deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon-bethhanan.
10Ben-hesed, in Arubboth, including Socoh and all the land of Hepher.
11Ben-abinadab, in all of Naphoth-dor.#4:11 Hebrew Naphath-dor, a variant spelling of Naphoth-dor. (He was married to Taphath, one of Solomon’s daughters.)
12Baana son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo, all of Beth-shan#4:12 Hebrew Beth-shean, a variant spelling of Beth-shan; also in 4:12b. near Zarethan below Jezreel, and all the territory from Beth-shan to Abel-meholah and over to Jokmeam.
13Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead, including the Towns of Jair (named for Jair of the tribe of Manasseh#4:13 Hebrew Jair son of Manasseh; compare 1 Chr 2:22.) in Gilead, and in the Argob region of Bashan, including sixty large fortified towns with bronze bars on their gates.
14Ahinadab son of Iddo, in Mahanaim.
15Ahimaaz, in Naphtali. (He was married to Basemath, another of Solomon’s daughters.)
16Baana son of Hushai, in Asher and in Aloth.
17Jehoshaphat son of Paruah, in Issachar.
18Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin.
19Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead,#4:19a Greek version reads of Gad; compare 4:13. including the territories of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan.
There was also one governor over the land of Judah.#4:19b As in some Greek manuscripts; Hebrew lacks of Judah. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Solomon’s Prosperity and Wisdom
20The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. 21#4:21a Verses 4:21-34 are numbered 5:1-14 in Hebrew text.Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River#4:21b Hebrew the river; also in 4:24. in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
22The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal#4:22 Hebrew 30 cors [6.6 kiloliters] of choice flour and 60 cors [13.2 kiloliters] of meal.; 23also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry.#4:23 Or and fattened geese.
24Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. 25During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.#4:25 Hebrew each family lived under its own grapevine and under its own fig tree.
26Solomon had 4,000#4:26a As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 2 Chr 9:25); Hebrew reads 40,000. stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses.#4:26b Or 12,000 charioteers.
27The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. 28They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables.
29God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 30In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. 31He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. 32He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. 33He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. 34And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
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